The first three Democratic presidential candidates at Thursday night’s debate admitted that they would raise taxes on the American people to pay for their proposals.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was the first candidate to speak on the debate stage, supports highly expensive government programs like “Medicare for All” and eliminating student loan debt. After some prodding from debate moderator Savannah Guthrie, Sanders admitted that he would have to raise taxes on the middle class in order to pay for such programs. (RELATED: Bernie Sanders Says Health Care For All Will Require Tax Increases)
“Yes, they will pay more in taxes and less in health care for what they get,” Sanders said.
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Sanders admission was followed up by former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden stating that he would eliminate the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Biden claimed only benefited the wealthy. However, as the Daily Caller previously reported, “nearly 70% of households earning between $30,000 and $50,000 got a tax cut, and more than 80% of households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 got a tax cut.”
Biden’s elimination of the Trump tax cuts would significantly affect the middle class.
Finally, California Sen. Kamala Harris was asked how she would pay for the programs proposed by Democrats, and again pivoted to repealing the Trump tax cuts.
“I hear that question, but where was that question when the Republicans and Donald Trump passed a tax bill that benefits the top 1%,” Harris said when asked about payment for her proposals.